‘Juice’ proves just ripe for Worcestershire fruit grower

A Litley Witley entrepreneur is taking the initiative by turning surplus tomatoes into 'best selling' juice

[UKPRwire, Wed Jul 04 2007] The art of turning tomatoes into a popular drink is reaping dividends for one of Worcestershire’s leading fruit growers.

Haven Nurseries, which has been based in the heart of the county for fifty years, has enjoyed a massive upsurge in sales in its home-made juice, with local markets and a leading supermarket all reporting major interest in the product.

The news is a massive boost for the family run business, which started the new division after tapping into advice and support from Manufacturing Advisory Service – West Midlands (MAS-WM) and specialist Campden and Chorleywood.

Paul Drew, one of the driving forces behind the diversification, picked up the story:

“Our main activity lies in the sale of fresh tomatoes on the vine to the retail market, which have to meet the strictest of requirements in terms of weight and size,

“Over time we began to realise that some of the fruit had ripened before the majority of the vine and, whilst being of the highest quality, we were unable to include in the supply – leaving us with a surplus of tomatoes and little chance of getting a good return on them.”

He continued: “This got us thinking and we looked at various end uses, finally deciding that creating a ‘juice’ would be the most viable and sustainable route to market.”

Working with MAS-WM and Campden and Chorleywood, Haven Nurseries embarked on developing the new product, taking research from tasting sessions and channelling it into the pasteurisation process that would create both the best tasting drink and meet all of the Government’s health and safety requirements.

A grant from the Rural Enterprise Fund helped Paul and the team to build their own manufacturing facilities and it wasn’t long before the ‘Drews of Worcester’ tomato juice was rolling off the production lines.

“Initially, we were producing the product in 250ml bottles and these were being snapped up by local people at the nurseries and also at a couple of local markets. The product and its associated health benefit were also proving extremely popular with men with prostrate problems,” explained Paul, who has been assisted throughout by Graham Collier.

“The feedback we received was extremely positive, but reality dictated that we had to increase the size of the bottles, in order to create a sustainable business. Once again, we turned to MAS-WM and the organisation immediately helped us explore a number of potential suppliers before assisting us in the selection of the one that provided the best quality, at the right price and at the right time.”

Haven Nurseries has certainly enjoyed the results, with potentially surplus tomatoes now bringing in nearly £15,000 of sales every year, with huge potential for further expansion set to be exploited.

Following appearances at Food Expo and local farmers’ markets, the company has recently seen its products stocked in Budgens Supermarket and, with this recommendation, are looking to increase the network of sellers to other Counties across the Country.

John Kelly, MAS-WM Adviser on the project, is not surprised at the initial success:

“What you have here is an enterprising family that decided to listen to and act on the requirements of the marketplace, creating an extremely sustainable new arm of the company in the process.”

He went on to add: “Using existing knowledge of the product, the business was shrewd enough to bring in a number of experts to help them with their plans and, subsequently, have enjoyed a great start to activity. The challenge now for them is to build on this initial success and really look at driving future expansion.”

‘Drews of Worcester’, which currently employs four people, will spend the next six months focusing on boosting sales and exploring the possibility of launching additional tomato-based products.

Paul concluded: “This new division has made a massive difference to our overall business and there is no doubt in my mind that we would not have been so successful if it wasn’t for the advice, guidance and commitment of MAS-WM and Campden and Chorleywood.”

Established in 2002, MAS-WM has helped over 4,000 manufacturing companies to improve manufacturing efficiencies, adding £108m to the turnover of these businesses in the process.

Going forward, it will look to maximise its relationship with the new Business Link West Midlands service to make sure even more companies can access its unique mix of in-depth support and strategic assistance.

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